The Tikori Chronicles: The Beginning
by JensaaraiWraith75
Summary: Book One of the Tikori Chronicles. Ryu Tikori, heir to a powerful family of Sith Lords, was always meant for great things. But when tragedy strikes, Ryu's life is thrown on a path that collides with glory and with destiny.
1. The Beginning and an End

(For disclaimers, please check my profile page, heh. Also, as it says on my profile, hang what you know of the Star Wars universe at the door. This won't follow it. I've taken the galaxy of Star Wars and made it my own, redoing everything. I wanted to make sure everyone reading this realized that right from the outset. I wanted to say that this was written as kind of a long version bio for the character of Ryu so that's why it's broken down into shorter sections of his life and isn't exactly a "book" but is more a semi-brief (not really, haha) overview of Ryu's life as written from Ryu's own perspective. This whole story, as well as the next two I will be posting, is completely finished... well not completely. I plan to re-do the ending of this one (you'll see why when you get to the final chapter...). As such, I'm posting this entire story right now. The other two won't be done in the same way, but after a day or two I'll deal with those, heh. Keep checking back for more! =])

The only constant in our lives, in any culture, on any planet, and in any galaxy... is change. Bodies age and grow old, leaving the once formidable weak to be overtaken by the young and ambitious. Men will rise and fall as their power peaks and then dies away. Some will simply fade into unimportance while others will be struck down, perhaps before their time. It is this continuous rise and fall of powers that keeps the galaxy in its constant state of change. I am a victim of such ebb and flow... My name is Ryu Tikori and this is the recounting of what once was...

**Childhood: Sith Youngling**

When compared with the average life of a force sensitive child, I suppose that my life was what one would call normal. As the heir to the Tikori dynasty, I was put into training at a very early age. My parents, Jin and Kiara Tikori, were part of the top echelon of Sith Lords in the galaxy. They were powerful and extremely skilled in the art of... well killing. I say killing rather than fighting because fighting brings the thought that it was a struggle for my parents to win a duel. That, however, was not the case. Their reputation for power and for ruthlessness earned them high honors in the Sith community and they were soon given their own temple to train new Sith and command their own battalion of Sith soldiers.

I was proud of my parents in ways that a child as young as I was could not describe. I wanted only to make them proud, to live up to the standards that they had already set, to leap the bar that my parents had set so high. I was a Tikori, a man born of two of the most formidable Sith Lords of the time. I needed to be powerful so that I may take up my parents' mantle when it was time for me to claim my inheritance. So I threw myself into training with my master whose name I cannot remember. He (I do remember that it was a he) trained me hard, focusing on my saber skill first. On one occasion, I remember asking him to spend more time on my force powers. He told me that my blood already gave me a head start in that area and that I needed to catch my saber skills up. For a while, this was my life... but the Force had other plans for me. Thus, my world changed in mere hours...

**End of the Tikori Dynasty**

It was in the afternoon that the Jedi attacked. I had just come home from my daily training with my master and was in my parents' room on the top floor showing them what I had learned. The Jedi snuck onto the planet and had reached the temple undetected. With a thunderous boom, they broke down the temple's huge metal door and charged in, sabers blazing. My father left my mother, my 8 year old sister, Dominique, and I in the room with a warning to stay there. Shortly afterwards, a fighter ship dropped out of nowhere and blew a hole in the temple's side with a few rounds of blaster cannon fire. This served as a huge opening for more Jedi to enter the temple nearly halfway up the temple's floors. It was like injecting a poison straight into the blood stream and watching it spread. The Jedi caught everyone in the temple off guard and successfully took down a good many Sith Lords before they were even able to draw their sabers.

The Jedi soon made it to my parents' room where my mother and I were told to wait. My mother immediately attacked the Jedi, quickly taking care of the two that had entered the room. My mother turned to me and told me to hide here with my sister until the fight was over... but while she was turned towards me, a Jedi snuck up behind her and stabbed her through the chest. I killed for the first time that day. In a fit of rage, I avenged my mother's death, catching the Jedi off guard with my sudden outburst of fury. I knew that the only way to safety was to leave the temple, to somehow get outside. So I pulled Dominique into my arms and ran as fast as my 12-year old legs could carry me.

I dodged bodies and sabers as I sped through the battlefield that was the upper levels of the temple. Powered by the force, I was able to reach the bottom floor safely and quickly. As I came across the main entryway, I realized just how large scale the attack was. The fighting in the upper levels was nothing compared to the gore and death that met my vision on the bottom floor in the grand entry hall. It was like two entire armies colliding on one flat battleground. In the middle, I noticed my father, and for a moment, I felt like everything would be alright. He was carving Jedi up as if they were some sort of festive holiday meat. I felt confident that my father would win the day.

As I stood there, Dominique in my arms and watching my father's brilliant skill, he glanced our way. After a double take, my father's face was filled with concern. He screamed something to us. Judging by the circumstances, I assume it was something like "RUN!" But even as he finished the word, a Jedi, seizing the opportunity that my presence brought, picked up one of the huge metal doors that had been lying on the floor since the Jedi knocked it down and launched it straight at my father with the force. My father was distracted, and the Jedi's aim was perfect. I watched my father fly through the air like a rag doll, skidding and bouncing on the floor as the projectile did the same, crushing my father many times over. I didn't stick around to see where my father ended up. I had started running shortly after the door had hit its mark.

It was then that I decided that attempting to leave the temple was too dangerous. There was one place in particular, a crawl space in a nearly unused hallway, where I was confident that I could hide with my sister and not have the Jedi find us. Luckily, I was able to make it there quickly and undetected. I remained there, holding my sister in my arms as I watched the battle through the force. With the master of the temple killed, the Jedi were able to run rampant through the Sith ranks and exterminate all of the Sith that resided there. I felt helpless as I watched my brethren and my friends get slaughtered by the attacking Jedi. In retrospect though, I suppose that the fact that I wasn't trained in the force was the only thing keeping me from being discovered by the Jedi. I later found myself grateful to my slain master for not having trained me in the force at first.

When I felt the Jedi presence disappear from the temple, I decided to venture out. I told Dominique to remain where she was until I came back. I wanted to make sure that the Jedi were truly gone before I brought my sister out of hiding and attempted to leave the planet. However... as I reached the main entryway, my mission became finding my father's body. I found it quickly... trapped between the door that had slammed into him and a large pile of rubble on the far side of the entryway. His upper body was the only visible part of him... and even that was barely recognizable. He had been crushed so badly... It was then that all of my emotions, all of my grief from watching my parents die, suddenly came crashing down on me. I collapsed over my father's body, tears streaming out of my eyes. I knew that I was probably getting his blood all over me... but I didn't care. I had held in the pain for too long already... But my outburst of emotions made me vulnerable to outside attacks. I didn't even notice the Jedi Knight as he swiftly kicked the back of my head and knocked me unconscious.


	2. Jedi Apprentice

(Chapters will get longer... much longer. Stay tuned)

**T****een Years and Early Adulthood: Jedi Apprentice**

When I woke up again, I was staring up at a bright light and had no memory of anything prior to that moment. There were small visions, like flashes of lightning in the dark sky... but none of them seemed to mean anything. There was a battle, but I didn't know why they were fighting or whose side I was on. There was a man shouting at me but I didn't know who he was. Hundreds of images flashed before my eyes as I tried to focus on the light above me. Finally, a man came into view. I didn't recognize him. He smiled warmly at me and said that he was glad to see I was awake again. He told me that I was in a Jedi medical bay and that I had taken quite a spill during a training exercise a little while ago. When I told him I didn't remember any training exercise, he told me it was very likely for me to have memory loss with the fall that I took. He then asked if I remembered who he was. Obviously, I said I didn't. He told me he was Jedi Master Ju-Kai Cutera. He then asked if I knew who I was... I told him I only knew that my name was Ryu. He told me I was Ryu Tannaris, his apprentice. At the time, I believed him. I had lost the memory of my parents and of my time as a Sith practitioner. So I took up the role as a Jedi Apprentice, whole-heartedly believing that I was a Jedi. I had a new family and the Tannaris's were always good to me. Rynarim and Lynori were both powerful Jedi and very influential in the fight against the Sith forces. It would make sense for the two to have a child as powerful as I was. And thus, the force had given me a second life through the destruction of the first.

My time as a Jedi was extremely fruitful. My training went quickly. All it took was for me to pick up a saber once again to remember all the saber skills I had learned with the Sith. My muscles flowed through the movements out of sheer instinct. But what Ju-Kai focused more on was my abilities with the force, something that I had never truly been taught. He seemed very intent on getting me to control my emotions, more so than other Masters were with their apprentices. It struck me as odd then but now I understand. He wanted to be sure I had no ties to the darkside, not even my emotions would be turning me against them.

I advanced to Knighthood quickly, earlier than many of the other Jedi that had been apprenticing with me. I was the prodigal Jedi and I truly believe that the Tannaris's were proud of me. I was the closest thing they had to a son and as such, they were overwhelmed with pride. Soon, Ju-Kai and I were being put out on the frontlines of the war with the Sith. That was where I found glory. I was an unstoppable force blazing through the ranks of the Sith Warriors. Whatever fame I had when I advanced to Knighthood at an early age was doubled as I became one of the most celebrated warriors in the effort against the Sith. Some commented that I rivaled even the masters on the council. Of course, as a Jedi trained to be humble, I didn't allow myself to believe such statements, but the attention felt great.

Soon, my master and I became the dynamic duo of the Jedi army. When we were sent into battle, soldiers fled and even supposed "Sith Lords" seemed to lose their nerve at the sight of the Master and Apprentice pair charging into battle. Many times, we were sent in as the only attack force. For instance, my master and I were sent into battle on Kato Nemoidia to take down a den of Sith soldiers. Granted, most of the soldiers were not force sensitive. They were simply followers of the Sith who had taken up arms against the Jedi. But there were several Sith Lords among them. Ju-Kai and I were sent in alone. We only had basic communication with the council and a holographic projector of the headquarters that the Sith followers were taking refuge in. Both Ju-Kai and I had found ourselves in tight spots during that raid, but one always came to bail the other out; a fact that we never allowed each other to forget. But we had come out alive and stronger than ever. Plus, the reputation boost that such a feat gave us wasn't bad either.

Despite my dedication to destroy the Sith, there were many Jedi that feared me. Looking back, perhaps they knew who I was and recognized me. Perhaps they knew that I had been a Sith Youngling. But there were other reasons for them to fear me. I was what one might call a dark Jedi. I had been trained to control my emotions, but the Sith in me always brought out that emotion when I needed it. As such, my fighting style was much more ruthless than other Jedi. When I fought, I had no problem taking a leg and then finishing off the opponent. I would take off a hand as a distraction then end the fight through decapitation. Or I would use grappling moves to subdue an opponent before ending the fight, a technique that I use even to this day. This was not the Jedi way. The Jedi would fight one on one in fair, honorable combat and when the opponent was effectively incapacitated, the fight would be over. Despite this, no one ever said anything to me. Not only were my results flawless, but everyone was too afraid that I'd kill whoever criticized me. As a result, I was given the nickname "Gray Jedi."

My time in the Jedi lasted for a long time. It wasn't until about my 25th birthday that the force once again threw my life a curveball.


	3. Deception Revealed

**Deception Revealed**

The war was going well for the Jedi by the time I turned 25. Thanks to the efforts of my master and I, the Sith numbers had been dwindling, leaving them terribly outmanned. They were still large enough to pose a threat, but the Jedi were confident in their abilities to finally finish off the Sith thanks to the amount of Jedi warriors that they had. It was rumored that, as a birthday present, the Jedi Masters were going to promote me to the rank of Master, the youngest to ever attain this status. All I had to do was lead a single mission to end my Knighthood and begin my life as a Jedi Master.

Many Sith had congregated together in one of their old temples. They seemed to be sitting ducks, trapped inside of their temple. The plan was simple. The Jedi would storm the temple and subdue all Sith warriors. We had orders that, if the Sith needed to be shown that resistance was futile, we were to show them just HOW futile it was. We were to be as merciless as the code would allow. Anyone, men, women or children that attacked a Jedi was immediately a target. That was how I worked already, but it was nice to get the 'okay' from the upper echelon for a change. So I set off with my army and with Ju-Kai at my side. He was here not as a mentor, but he was to act as the councils eyes and ears during the fight. He was to evaluate my performance and report to the council whether I was truly ready for a promotion or not.

We reached the temple with no issue and no resistance, but as we drew closer to the temple, I began to sense the Sith inside. They were all powerful darkside practitioners and there were many of them. This battle wouldn't be as easy as the Masters seemed to think it would be. There was something else troubling about this mission. As we drew closer to the temple, I began to feel anxious and unnerved. I couldn't put his finger on it... I just felt that something was strange about this place... strangely... familiar. I pushed the thought from my mind, focusing on the task at hand. As we grew nearer to the temple, I began to start separating the troops into a squad attacking the front and one attacking the back. I would be leading the forward attack group and Ju-Kai would be in charge of the back attack group.

As they grew closer to the temple, I realized there was more that was strange about the temple. It seemed older than I had imagined... After the two groups had split and they were rounding the side of the temple, I noticed a large hole in the side of it. Suddenly, a vision flashed through my head. I was in a room with a woman and a very young girl. The entire building shook; fear shot through me... Even though it was just a vision, I could feel the emotions that went along with the vision. At the time, I didn't know what to make of it. Perhaps it was a vision of the future? I couldn't be certain. As such, I pushed it out of my mind.

As we reached the front entrance of the temple, I had to stop short of where I had planned due to the fact that the front door of the temple was completely gone. There was no way of knowing where the door had gone, but it didn't matter. It simply meant that there was one less obstacle to overcome. With one word through the force to everyone, the battle commenced.

With a fierce battle cry, hundreds of Jedi stormed the temple from the front and the back. The Sith weren't ready for the attack and a few were killed before the battle had even truly began. That being said, when we entered the temple, there weren't many Sith on the bottom floor, so our initial charge hadn't been as successful as I had hoped. As our battle cry rang out through the floors of the temple, Sith began to pour down from the upper levels. Each of them were battle ready by now, sabers in hand and already ignited as the two armies collided into mortal combat on the huge open floor space on the bottom level.

Then... it happened again, a vision flashing before my eyes. It was the same one as I had had the day I woke up in the Jedi medical bay all those years ago. Two huge forces of Jedi and Sith clashed into one huge battle. Then the man appeared again, screaming for me to run. While I was lost in my vision, my body was paralyzed. I stood there, captivated by the vision as it played out in front of me. Only when the heat of a saber approached my head did I snap back to the present. After quickly (and easily) finishing off the Sith, I looked around, trying to find the man that was yelling at me to run in the vision. If it was a vision of the future, then this would certainly be the moment that it occurred. But there was no one. And, once I truly thought about it, I realized that the temple in which the vision occurred was much less run down, much less aged. Confusion set in. Surely this was the moment that the vision depicted. What other epic clash of Jedi and Sith could I ever be involved in?

My thoughts were broken momentarily as Ju-Kai ran up to me. He had a shallow cut on his arm and he was sweating from the heat of the fight. He grabbed my arm and shouted above the roar of the battle around us to tell me that the Sith commanding this force hadn't joined the battle and that he was in a separate room calling for backup. Ju-Kai insisted that we allow the other Jedi to kill the Sith pawns while he and I leave to take care of the master. I agreed and he and I ran off through the crowd of warriors towards the stairs.

I followed Ju-Kai for he seemed to know where to go. But while I followed him, I was lost in thought. These walls... the hallways... the temple itself... it all seemed so familiar. As we passed rooms, visions would flash before my eyes of families together in the room or of men discussing something serious in the room. It was strange. It all seemed so familiar, yet I never quite knew why. There was something about this temple; something very odd, and the feeling was getting worse as we climbed the stairs.

When we finally reached the room where the Sith commander was hiding, we had climbed up to the very top floor to find but one door. Behind that door, we could both feel the Sith master standing on the other side of the room. But there was something else... the darkside filled this room to overflowing. It poured out around the door like the smoke from a fire. There was something dark and foreboding about this room. My mind was set, ready to charge into the room and slay the Sith... but my body... the force inside of me, told me not to go in there. Told me that by simply walking in there, everything I knew could change. The Light side seemed to literally hold me back. But I had to press on. If I was to be a Master, I had to show the other Masters that I could withstand a thick darkside presence and still remain true to the Lightside of the force. So, forcing myself to move, Ju-Kai pulled the door open quickly and I charged inside, saber blazing.

To my surprise, the room beyond wasn't a war room or even a meeting room. It was a bedroom. One that had stood the test of time as poorly as the rest of the temple had... but it was obvious that it had once been a very elegant room; one fit for a King or a Queen of the darkside. Grief immediately washed over me, I didn't know why at the time. But it was an uncontrollable sorrow that threatened to take me over. Again, a vision flashed before my eyes. A beautiful woman stood before me, speaking to me, telling me something. I couldn't understand it. The vision suddenly jumped ahead and now, that same woman was on laying on her side before me, a hole in her chest where a saber had gone through. Next came the anger... the unceasing hatred. It washed through the room as the vision ended. My eyes were brimming with tears... I didn't know why... but they were and it took every ounce of the lightside within me to stay true to the Jedi way and not give in to the fury as it wafted through the room.

The Sith Lord was standing by a window, he was mumbling, likely communicating through the force with someone far from this place. When he heard the door open and felt me enter the room, the mumbling stopped. When he turned, he wore a scowl, pure hatred on his old and sunken face from being interrupted while calling for backup. Then his face suddenly lightened and turned to amazement as his eyes crossed over me.

"Jin? Is that... is that you? Wait... no. It can't be. He died all those years ago." His face fell and he looked down at the floor. Then, his head snapped back up, staring at me with excitement. "Wait! If you aren't Jin... then you must be Ryu! You look so much like your father that I would have sworn you were him. My Prince, it is so good to see you again."

I wasn't sure how to respond. Surely this Sith had gone mad on the power of the darkside. It wasn't unheard of. Many Sithlords had lost their minds as they delved deeper into the Darkside's power. "My name IS Ryu, but my father's name isn't Jin. My father is Rynarim Tannaris, a Jedi Master. I am no prince of the Sith."

The Sith stared at me like I was crazy. "That can't be true. You look too much like Jin. There's no mistaking it. You are the son of an amazingly powerful Sith Lord and Lady. You are the heir to the Tikori dynasty! You are the prince that should be presiding over this temple. Over the entire Sith army for that matter! You are as much a Jedi as I am and trust me, I am no Jedi. Are you telling me you have no recollection of this temple? Of the incredible battle that took place here? Of the day your parents died? Your mother was killed in this very room! Right before your eyes! And yet you don't remember that? Where have you been for the last 13 years or so?"

My mind went crazy... my parents were killed in here? There was a huge battle that took place in this temple? My mother killed in this very room... suddenly the visions began to fall into place. The man telling me to run could've been my father, fighting in the epic battle between the Jedi and Sith in the main entryway downstairs. The woman in my most recent vision was my mother, killed before my very eyes. It was all fitting too perfectly. Suddenly I found that I was in a duel with myself. Who was I? Was I Ryu Tannaris, the Jedi Knight? Or was I Ryu Tikori, the Lord of the Sith? There were suddenly so many questions flying around in my head. Some trying to disprove that Sith's words... but others were trying to confirm.

My thoughts were broken suddenly by the unmistakable snap-hiss of a saber igniting in the hallway. Ju-Kai, who had decided to wait outside of the room and allow me to handle the Sith alone (because it was I who was being tested for the rank of Master) suddenly stormed into the room, his saber ignited and pointed directly at the Sith Lord.

"That's enough of your lies. You will not turn my Apprentice to the darkside." There was something... strange in Ju-Kai's voice. There was anger, desperation... and fear.

The Sith glared at Ju-Kai. "My lies? You hypocrite! You have been lying to him for all these years! Making him believe he was a Jedi! As if you could stop the darkside of the force from reclaiming one of its champions!" His attention turned to me suddenly. "See through their lies, Ryu. You KNOW where you belong! You can feel it! You are Ryu Tikori, a warrior of the darkside, not a pawn of the lightside and of the Jedi!"

Ju-Kai shouted for the Sith to shut up before turning to me. "Let's end this, Ryu! There are Jedi down there dying because we have wasted time on this Sith scum!" The fear had grown thicker in Ju-Kai's voice... I could hear it... feel it even. He was putting up a tough front... but the Sith's words were affecting my master.

There was more meditation needed... I needed more time to think about all that transpired here; all that was said, all that I had seen. So, with my decision made, I lifted a hand quickly and sent a huge force push at the Sith Lord, sending him backwards through the window to plummet to his death. He hadn't been expecting the attack. He was overly confident in the fact that I would be turned back to the darkside. Had he not been, my attack wouldn't have been as effective.

Ju-Kai didn't say anything to me for the rest of the fight... I wasn't sure if he was angry at me for having lashed out like that against the Sith Lord... or if he was simply too afraid he'd make things worse by talking...


	4. Redemption!

**Redemption!**

The rest of the battle had gone well. When Ju-Kai and I returned to the battlefield, we were immediately engulfed in warfare. The Sith had apparently felt their Master fall to his death for as soon as we came into view of the battle on the bottom floor, the Sith's attention immediately turned to us. We fought them back, Ju-Kai and I holding off the main force of the Sith while the rest of the Jedi fought the back of the crowd attempting to get to us. It was a long fight, but in the end, the Jedi came away victorious. I was praised as a war hero for having killed the Sith Lord and having fought off so many Sith Lords. Ju-Kai was praised too but he was already a wise, old Jedi. Winning this battle meant that I was practically a shoe-in for the title of Jedi Master. I was the youngest to reach this rank and the other Jedi practically worshiped me for it.

For me, however, the victory was bitter-sweet. My entire life had built up to this moment it seemed; the moment when I would become a Jedi Master. But the conversation with the Sith Lord in the temple had affected me more than I let on to Ju-Kai and the others. I found myself questioning my life. Was everything that I had experienced over the last 13 years really my life? In a literal sense, it obviously was. But in the sense of destiny and bloodlines, was this truly me? Ryu Tannaris, the Jedi Master? Or, deep down, was the blood of two powerful Sith Lord flowing through my veins?

With all these question, I knew that meditation was the only way to discover the answers, even if it was one that I didn't like. The truth was the truth. So, after briefly accepting the praise from many Jedi waiting for our returning, I quickly retired to my quarters and sat down to meditate. I searched all through myself, trying to decipher who I was and where I belonged. I dug deep into my connection with the force. I asked the midichlorians in my body but they refused to speak on the subject. I would have to find out on my own. I had been at it for quite some time when finally... something happened.

Deep in the darkness of my closed eyes, a man called to me by name. My conscience ran towards the voice. He became visible quickly and I was soon standing before him. It was the same man from my vision, the one yelling for me to run. I hesitated for a moment, stunned at the image before me, but eventually, I gathered my strength and opened my mouth to speak. But he held a hand up to me, telling me not to speak. He simply smiled at me and looked at me for a little while. "Remember... my son," he spoke softly. Slowly, he reached out towards me and grabbed my head between his hands. He stared into my eyes a moment then screamed. "REMEMBER!"

Immediately, my head began to throb as the walls were torn down that I had built to block out my past. The visions flowed freely now; 12 years worth of memories passing before my eyes in mere seconds. I reeled, leaning away as names filled my head and places flashed before my eyes. Then, the memories of that fateful day flashed before me. I was suddenly overcome with grief. My parents... had died so that I may live and yet I had spent the rest of that life that they bought with their blood destroying everything that they were... everything that I was. I suddenly felt ashamed, felt angry at myself for what I'd done since that day.

Then I saw something else. It wasn't a memory but a vision of the force. I was looking at myself as I leaned over my father's crushed body. Then I saw him... Ju-Kai. He snuck up behind me as I was helpless and crying over my father's body. He lifted a boot and swiftly kicked my head. I fell on top of my father and was out cold. He then picked me up and carried my body away in his arms, likely to his ship.

At that moment, all my grief was obliterated and replaced by blind, unrestrained fury. My master, the one I had looked up to for the past 13 years, was the very Jedi who initiated the lie in the first place. The council had instructed him to deceive me; to make me believe I was a Jedi and he had followed their orders. No wonder Ju-Kai had become afraid at the Sith Lord's words back in the temple. Ju-Kai, the man that I looked to like a big brother, had betrayed me from the beginning. Other than the council, he was the biggest target of my hatred.

At that moment, I snapped out of my meditative state, finding myself in my quarters once again. But there was something different... about me. I no longer even felt the same. I was renewed, I was powerful... I was a Tikori! I had never felt so powerful, not even when I was in the middle of a battle as a Jedi. The force had turned me into everything that I could've been had the Jedi never deceived me. I was Jedi Knight Ryu Tannaris no longer. I was more than that man could ever dream of being. I was Ryu Tikori, a Sith Lord.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door to my living quarters. I smirked to myself, sensing that it was the Masters coming to greet me. How perfectly they were falling into my hands... those poor, unsuspecting fools. They didn't know what they were getting into. I called out for them to enter and the door immediately slid open, revealing three of the Masters. They smiled and entered into my quarters. I smiled back, acting the part of the Jedi I had been playing for far too long and bowed graciously to them. "How may I help you, Masters?"

The first one, a rather tall human male, chuckled softly. "I think we both know why we're here, Ryu. We have come to make you one of us. Ryu Tannaris, you are now, officially a Jedi Master. Kneel, and we shall make your promotion official."

I smirked, letting the facade drop immediately. "There's just one problem with that Masters. I'm not Ryu Tannaris, am I?" Confusion was the first emotion to cross the master's face, then, when he noticed how different my force signature was, sudden fear replaced his confusion. I lunged, crossing the short distance in milliseconds and ignited my saber, jamming it deep into the man's stomach. "I'm Ryu Tikori!" I pushed the man backwards, sending him off of my saber blade and into one of the other masters. The one that wasn't occupied charged at me, saber raised high. I let my fury flow, lashing out at her with a torrent of lightning, an attack I was as surprised to see as she was. She was able to block the lightning with her saber, but with my other hand (the one holding my saber), I force pushed the front of her knee. Because it was the back leg, the one used to support her against the lightning torrent, the pressure of the force push was able to snap her knee cap and force the leg to bend the other way. She collapsed on the floor and I grabbed her with the force, lifting her withering body and throwing her head first into the far wall.

By this time, the remaining Master had stood up. His saber was ignited but I could sense his fear. I smirked, acting in blind instinct and rage as I let the darkside radiate from me like an aura. I lunged suddenly, using the hand that wasn't holding my saber to manipulate the force to push his saber hilt away, causing the blade to follow, opening up his defenses. With the distance closed, I stabbed the saber deep into his thigh, sending it out through the other side. As the Master screamed in pain, I pulled the saber back out and spun around quickly, bringing my saber back down across his cheek. Despite the fact that it was a direct hit, I made sure that the attack wasn't very deep. It left him with a sizzling gash diagonally from his ear to his chin.

The man fell to the ground, withering in pain and crying out like a child. I smirked and used the force to pull him back up, bringing him to eye level. I also made sure to restrain him with the force to stop him from attacking. I smirked and looked him in the eyes. "Go and crawl back to the Masters. Tell them what happened here. They have made their greatest ally into their greatest enemy. Oh, and be sure to assure them that they will all fall to my saber soon." With that, I dropped him to the ground and turned to walk away from him towards the window in my quarters. With a small force push, the window shattered and I leapt out, plummeting towards the ground. My trajectory was cut off by an airspeeder. I smirked, realizing that the force had provided for my escape. I killed the pilot and took his place.

Thus, my life began anew. Change had destroyed my life once and given me a new one. But Change could not keep me from returning to where I belonged. I was a Sith once again and I would make my parents proud.


	5. Gray Jedi to Unsurpassed Wraith

**From "Gray Jedi" to "Unsurpassed Wraith"**

The moments after that event were, admittedly, quite frightening. For the time being, I was the most wanted fugitive. For where could I go that an enemy would not be hunting me? Surely the Jedi that I had spared had spread the word of my betrayal, so now the factions and planets that were allies of the Jedi would no longer welcome me with open arms. Instead, I would be met with soldiers and blaster fire. And if I sought out the Sith, then I would be met with even worse of a reception. For I had spent nearly 10 years devoted to seeing to it that the darkside was wiped from the face of the galaxy and surely the Jedi would be prudent not to let that kind of intelligence get back to the Sith. It would mean that one of the Jedi's strongest warriors was now an ally of the darkside and the Sith would surely do everything that they could to find me and then attack the Jedi immediately. Plus, the Jedi would want me to feel isolated and alone. No, I had nowhere to turn. No one to seek out for refuge.

So I did the only thing I could. Using the air speeder that I had stolen from the unfortunate civilian who had cut off my free fall, I flew straight to the nearest air port. But instead of landing, I bailed out over the launch pad, using the force to slow my descent and survive the fall. Luckily, the hangar was empty. It didn't take me long to board a ship and find some place to stow away. I was lucky enough to have chosen a ship that was planning on departing shortly. For several weeks, I did this same thing. Going from ship to ship and stowing away. I planet hopped with whatever ship I happened to have boarded. While the ship was in flight, I would meditate and attempt to connect with my father. He was always willing to make his presence known to me and always willing to teach me. From beyond the grave, he gave me short lessons on the darkside and some of the skills that come with it.

As the weeks went by and I continued to get further and further away from the core worlds, I started to become bolder. I would leave the ships I had boarded and walk around the spaceport. I began to actually plan my trips, looking at the destination of every ship that was in the hangar bay before selecting which one to board. I had selected a planet to hide out on back when I "boarded" that first ship as I left the Jedi temple. It was a distant planet that lied beyond the outer rim called Susevfi. It was remote and deserted. More importantly, the wildlife and vegetation there was plentiful enough to keep me from going hungry.

So after weeks of ship hopping and being smuggled, I finally made it to the planet of my destination. It was only after applying a Jedi mind trick that I was able to convince one of the smugglers to make a trip to Susevfi. I was pleased to see that my Jedi techniques did not disappear when I began to follow the darkside. But it was the darkside skills I had learned from my meditation and training with my father that had truly come most in handy. He taught me a few very basic stealth techniques in order to keep myself from being caught. Such simple tricks as bending shadows to cover me more completely in a dark corner or stifling sound so as to keep my movement quiet were the first ones that he taught me, as I would need them immediately. Of course, I wasn't very good at them and many times I was nearly caught. But they got the job done and I had made it to my destination.

For the following year, I remained on that planet. My days consisted of sleeping, hunting, eating, training and meditating. There was never a break in the routine. My father stressed discipline, so I remained disciplined and kept the same schedule for the full year. During my meditation sessions, it was my father's voice that I heard. It was like opening a holocron and learning all of his secrets. Just as it was on the ships, my father would come to me each time I called and would teach me the intricacies of the darkside.

Of course, I wasn't necessarily there for the full year out of choice. Being that this was an extremely remote planet, there was no traffic to or from the planet. So I was forced to wait. But I never complained. I was diving deep into the darkside, relying on it to sustain my life on days that I had trouble catching anything to eat. It was always present, always surrounding me and I thrived in its power. I knew that leaving this planet meant going back to the distraction of the galaxy and leaving this closeness that I felt to the force, but it was necessary. The galaxy needed cleansing of the scum that was the Jedi and who better to do it than the once revered champion of the Jedi?

And so I waited until finally, the force provided for me. A Sith vessel made its way to the planet fleeing an attacking Jedi fleet. Their numbers had been depleted and their ship heavily damaged. They had stopped on the planet to make some repairs and to tend to the wounded. I seized the opportunity and made my presence known. At first, I allowed them to think that I was simply a smuggler whose ship had crashed landed here. Had the men that landed here been true Sith Masters, they would have sensed my force sensitivity. But they were not. I was able to hide my force connection from them and convince them to let me travel home with them. Of course, they demanded that I help repair the ship or tend the wounded as payment for chartering me off the planet, but I was getting what I wanted, so I gladly helped. To my great pleasure, the fleet that I was now traveling with insisted that I be taken to the Sith Temple to meet with the Sith Overlord. This played directly into my hands as well. This was where I would make my true identity known.

When we finally arrived at the Sith Temple, I had cleaned myself up and shaved. I also did my best to play up the fact that I looked just like my father. Hopefully, this Sith Overlord would recognize me as Jin's son, the same way that the first Sith had recognized me about a year prior. If that failed, then I would show who I was by a demonstration of my force power and convince him that way. It would be difficult to convince someone that I had basically returned from the dead, but I would make it happen. Luckily for me, the Sith Overlord HAD in fact known my father and recognized me immediately. At first, he waived off the likeness as mere coincidence but I convinced him that he was right. It was right then and there that I was made a Sith Lord and was welcomed into the Sith army.

Normally, they would have put me through basic training of the darkside, made me an apprentice once again. But, when I told them how I had spent the last year meditating and relying on the force, they decided to move me straight onto the next step: specialization. For when a Sith apprentice completed their training under a master, they decide what "job" they would like to do in the Sith army. Some became technology specialists, able to sabotage the enemy's ships using the force. Others became mystics, proficient in all weaponized force tactics. The Sith Overlord had suggested I become a Juggernaut: a battle-focused force of nature that combined lightsaber skill and a huge amount of force to tear through enemy ranks. He claimed it would be where I was best suited given my father's fighting style. But I had other plans.

For you see, even in the heat of battle, I had never felt more alive than I did when I was sneaking from ship to ship, hiding in the shadows and keeping myself hidden from those who may try to attack me. That was where I felt drawn, where I felt at home. So, after much convincing, I got the Overlord to give up his hopes of having me as a Juggernaut and began my training as a Sith Assassin: a master in the art of disguise, trickery, and stealth.

What I didn't realize, however, was that assassinry came with its own form of combat. The masters called it "The Assassin's Trump Card." It was swift and decisive, often containing only one real strike against an opponent. But that one strike was the final one. The secret to this style was actually very simple: get in the opponents blind spot and strike quickly. That involved getting in closer than most duels ever got. The entire system was a system of counter attacks, using the momentum and inertia of the opponents attack to one's own advantage.

The tactic had many grappling attacks and moves that would incapacitate an opponent before delivering the final strike. Many of these attacks involved grabbing the wrist of the opponent's sword arm and using it as leverage against the body. Other times, the assassin was told to kick out the opponent's leg that carried the most weight which would, in turn, open the defenses. Another part of the training was built around tactics where drawing your saber wasn't even necessary. This would be invaluable because it would mean the loud snap-hiss of saber activation wouldn't be able to attract guards or other attention of the sort.

The technicality of this technique intrigued me and fascinated me. The speed with which death could be delivered was surprising and it made me crave to perfect it. I spent long hours in the training room working on my form. If I was to be an assassin, then I needed to be able to quickly kill anyone who happened to become aware of my presence, even if they decided to attack me. As I became more fluent in the technique, I found myself needing my saber less and less. I found it much more fun to wrench the opponent's saber free and use it to kill them. Many times, that involved snapping an arm or using opposing motions to pull it free. But whether using my saber or not, I quickly became a master of the ATC. Soon, I began to challenge my fellow students and eventually the masters, to duels for fun and, though on occasion I would lose the fight, I always fought with a skill level and precision that surprised even the masters, striking fear into the other students that I trained with.

Soon, other types of fighters began to challenge me. The juggernauts tried to overpower me with their strength, but it meant nothing in the end. I delivered failure to them as quickly as any. The mystics attempted to finish me off quickly with their force prowess but I used speed increasing techniques to get in close and finish them off quickly as well. Many tried their hand at defeating me, but I was a killing machine. I quickly learned why the technique was called "The Assassin's Trump Card": no matter who you faced and what their strengths were, this tactic could finish them off quickly and efficiently.

I was soon bestowed with a new nickname. The students that I had trained with and that had been bested by my skill began to call me "The Unsurpassable Wraith." I was the ghost that you saw just before you died. I was the harbinger of death and no one could best me…. The Gray Jedi had died and left only The Wraith. Thus, I was finally sent on my first mission. The galaxy would know of the Wraith's existence soon…


	6. Ascension of the Mind

**Ascension of the Mind**

With a newly perfected saber style and force techniques designed specifically for assassins, I was released into the galaxy like a beast being set free from its cage to wreak havoc. And oh the havoc I created. My missions started out small: powerful business owners that aided the Jedi. Some disappeared, but the lucky ones were simply assassinated. But in either case, no one ever seemed to have any idea as to how they had been killed. To those that I had been merciful enough to simply knock out, I became known as a shadow, a ghost, or, on one occasion, a demon (my personal favorite). It wasn't until one man asked "What are you?" that my nickname became widely known. "I am the Wraith," was my only reply before silently knocking the man out. He obviously came to and spread the word that a Wraith had struck that night. Thanks to the suit that I designed, no one knew my face and because I hadn't hunted a force sensitive being yet, no one was able to deduce my identity. I was known only as The Wraith. The name almost seemed to become more my name than Ryu as my fellow Sith Lords picked up the name and ran with it.

As I proved myself extremely useful to the Sith leaders, I was given more high profile hits. Now those didn't always go as planned. When going after Jedi, one must play within a different set of parameters. On one occasion, I became too cocky, too full of myself and too full of pride. I attempted to kill the Jedi while he was safely nestled in the heart of the Jedi temple. Needless to say, things began to go wrong. I was forced to improvise and make quick decisions… poor decisions. The final one led me to stand on a high, unstable beam directly above a small force of Jedi that had followed their senses to try to track me down. The beam snapped under my weight and I plummeted to the floor below, directly in the middle of the Jedi. A short battle followed, and while my fighting technique was able to kill most of the Jedi, they eventually used sheer numbers to overpower me. I was placed in force suppressing cuffs and thrown in a force resistant cell.

I did a lot of thinking in that cell. A lot of analyzing. The days of solitude locked away in that cold, empty chamber where I couldn't even call upon the force made me feel restless. I soon felt as empty as the cell I sat in. I missed the thrill of the chase; the exhilaration of stocking my prey from the shadows; the blissful wash of pride that came from silently taking down a target. I missed it so much; longed for it; craved it. It made me feel alive, gave me reason to remain in combat. Because simply charging at an opponent with saber drawn and engaging in a long, drawn out saber duel was so boring, so predictable. But I wanted to be that radical element. The one thing that no one could pinpoint or predict. And I had become exactly that.

It was then that my mind posed an intriguing question. Was I fighting for the Sith and following their way because I believed in the things that we fought for? Did I want a galactic empire? Did I believe that passion was the only way to power? For most young Sith Lords, the answer was quick and simple. They were blinded by the glory of battle and by the rage that they held in their hearts. It was rage against no one in particular, simply rage. But here, in this dank, dingy jail cell, I found no glory. I had no outlet for my anger, no connection to the force to be able to gain power through my hatred. My head was clear. With the force suppressed, I was able to think clearly without the temptations of the darkside or the code of ethics of the lightside. I felt like an average civilian and it was… surprisingly freeing.

As for the question itself, I could not say with resolve that either the Sith or the Jedi had all of the answers. The Sith were like wild, starved dogs staring down a piece of meat. They saw something that they wanted, and they took it. They showed their teeth and their fangs to scare off an opponent but if that didn't work then they attacked with pure, unbridled instinct, following only what their hatred and their emotion commanded them to do. There was power there… but what good is power when the mind controlling it is shunned and cast out in favor of animalistic instinct? The Sith had succeeded only in finding a route to immediate power. Power that could be called upon in a moment's notice to overturn the tides of the battle.

Though I hated to admit that the hypocrites who stole half of my life from me were actually right, the Jedi had found another route to power. The mind is an amazing muscle. It is the mind that separates us from animals, that recalls training sessions years after they are lived out. Surely, if there was a way to true power, it was through the mind. I had lived as a Jedi for many years and I had truly known power through knowledge and studies and listening to Masters speak on the intricacies of the force. Through these things, I was able to grow exponentially in power. The problem with the Jedi, however, was their code and the rules that one was told to follow in order to a live a life as a Jedi. But I had been a witness to the utter disregard that the Jedi truly had for the code. The biggest one, the one forbidding of a Jedi to love and to marry, wasn't even acknowledged as Jedi married Jedi and fell in love and had children. Sure, it expanded the Jedi army, but what good were principles when no one followed them? And the Jedi were supposed to be merciful? The Jedi had ambushed two Sith temples (once under my command and once while I was the one being ambushed) and had mercilessly killed all inhabitants. What was more, the Jedi had deceived me. They had lied to me and made me believe I was a Jedi just so that they could defeat the Sith in a war that had been fought for ages. The Jedi had become corrupt; more worried about defeating the enemy than they were concerned with following their own law and living as they should. It all pointed to the fact that the Jedi way had been compromised under the pressure of war.

There was something else. By about the second week in captivity, I had simply allowed my mind to wander and ponder questions that I otherwise would have ignored. The next question that came up was the most intriguing of them all: Why was this war being fought in the first place? Sure, the Jedi and Sith had different views of the force and different views of how the galaxy should be run. But what good was open warfare in heavily cultivated areas going to do for either side? As an agent of terror, it was my job before getting captured to gauge my influence on the general population. And where their cries fell on deaf ears with the Jedi and Sith, I listened closely.

The Force Civil War had taken a huge toll on the galaxy. Cost the lives of so many civilians. The public was beginning to despise the Jedi as much as the Sith. Sure, the Jedi only fought because the Sith were there to oppose them, but wasn't the only reason the Sith fought because the Jedi were there to oppose them? That was how the public saw it and they were quickly beginning to think that the only way to end their own suffering was to somehow wipe out both Jedi and Sith and leave the galaxy force-user free. The thought fascinated me and as I sat in that cell, the thought began to seem more and more acceptable. The Sith were animals driven mad with power and that seemed to have no true knowledge of the force as a whole. Yet the Jedi were hypocritical and judgmental, looking down on all those who didn't follow their code when they themselves didn't follow it either. Perhaps the best way to reconcile the Jedi and Sith was to wipe the slate clean and start anew. Perhaps raise a new faction of force warriors. Warriors with the intensity and passion of the Sith but the honor, and the wisdom of the Jedi. At the time, I thought it was only a fantasy, something my mind entertained simply because it was bored.

It wasn't long after that I was able to break free. While one of the Jedi guards handed food to me through the bars, I reached out with both hands and grabbed the Jedi's wrist. He dropped the tray of food he was holding and began to struggle but years of vigorous training and the intense physical exertion that stealth required had made me much stronger than the Jedi. I was able to violently pull the guard head first into the bars. As the echoes of bone hitting metal resounded throughout the prison block, the guard passed out and collapsed on the floor. I searched his jacket until I found the keys to my cuffs and to my cell. Snagging the unconscious Jedi's lightsaber from his belt, I made a mad dash to the exit. It didn't take long for Jedi to converge upon me. But I was able to fight off most of them. And when their numbers became too great, I used my speed increasing force techniques to quickly escape. Eventually, I made it to an exit and took it out into the great courtyard where a ship was waiting for me. The Night Predator was my personal escort to and from my assassination missions. Its pilot, a Sith loyalist by the name of Berakas, had a personal link to me and I had contacted him upon my escape into the main part of the temple.

Now that I, once again, was able to access the force, it began to beckon me, the two "sides" pulling me in their respective ways. The lightside wanted me to atone for what I'd done while the darkside encouraged me to use my rage to turn back and attack the Jedi with blind fury. Were this prior to my time in captivity, I might have listened to the call of the darkside. But my eyes had been opened and my mind had been set free from the limits of the Jedi and the Sith. I saw the flaws of each side of the argument and I didn't want anything to do with either of them. Then, as if I had called it to act myself, the force provided for me once more.

As the "Night Predator" was making its way back to Korriban so that I could report to the Sith Overlord what had happened on my mission, Berakas reported that the ship had picked up a transmission. It wasn't sent to us specifically, or anyone for that matter. It had simply been sent out, meant to be picked up and intercepted by anyone. I told Berakas to play the message and, on the main screen, an older man appeared before us. He seemed battle-hardened, grizzled, and wise beyond his years. He spoke with authority as he put out his message.

"My name is Nikkos Tyris. This message goes out to all who are looking to join the ranks of the Jensaarai and leave the ways of the Jedi and Sith behind. Included are the coordinates to the planet where I will be awaiting all who believe that the Jensaarai is right for them."

The name Jensaarai struck me hard. I had heard it mentioned before and had read about the ancient group of graysiders. There had only been snippets of their philosophy mentioned in the holonet of the Jedi archives. But from what I had gathered, the Jensaarai believed that neither Jedi or Sith held the answers and that there was only one force, no dark or light "side." This sounded exactly like what I had been pondering, as though the transmission had known that I was questioning things and had tracked me down purposely.

I immediately told Berakas to plug in the coordinates. I warned him that the days of serving the Sith Legion was very possibly behind us; that he and I were probably not returning to meet with the Emperor and that following me on this course would mean he would be called a traitor to the Sith just as I was going to be. He told me through a serious face that he understood the consequences and then proceeded to plug in the coordinates and directed the ship to them. I hypothesized at the time (and still believe this) that he was following my course of action more out of devoted friendship than truly not caring about his standing in the Legion. I had saved his life several times before and I was his superior officer. He probably felt indebted to me and as though his duty was to follow me.

The ride to the coordinates was long and boring. The Night Predator had to travel from the core world of Coruscant all the way to the outer rim where the coordinates told us to go. I spent the ride in my quarters meditating, gathering my emotions and making sure that I knew what I was doing. After all, I was leaving everything behind that my father had done and was leaving behind their legacy of powerful Sith Lords. Not only that, but it was a big step to take to go against both the Jedi and the Sith. Despite their problems, I felt somewhat attached to both groups. I had made friends in both groups, even if the friends I made in the Jedi had helped to perpetuate the lie that the council had spun. I felt a sense of duty to them and to those that looked up to me in the Sith army. Was I really planning to turn my back on them now? Especially when the Sith and Jedi were surely an insurmountable foe for their sheer numbers alone.

Just as my doubts hit an all time high, my father appeared to me in my meditation but this time, he brought someone else… my mother. We talked for a long time through the force, me voicing my reasons for having doubts. When I mentioned that I was turning on their legacy, my father said simply, "It is not the parents' wishes that their children become carbon copies of them. Instead, we hope that you will surpass us and make a name for yourself in your own way." My father went on to elaborate that the force wouldn't have brought me on this path or made all of this possible at all if it weren't my destiny. He was right. The events that led up to this moment had been orchestrated by the force. I couldn't turn my back on what the force desired. So with a new found conviction and determination, I looked forward to the meeting with Nikkos Tyris.

We arrived on the planet shortly after and I was able to use the force to track down the force user's position on the planet. The meeting was relatively short. Upon arriving, Nikkos seemed to barely notice my arrival. He was sitting alone in the middle of a dense forest. He looked up at me but didn't ask me if I was here because I received his transmission. He simply assumed I was. He then stood from his spot and drew his saber, explaining that it is necessary to not only prove that I have the fighting ability required to go against the Jedi and Sith, but also that I had the mentality of the Jensaarai. And so I drew my saber as well and the audition process began.

The audition was surprisingly short. I went against everything I had been taught and made the first move on Nikkos. Obviously I wasn't trying to kill him so my fighting was pulled back quite a bit but I made sure to showcase what it was that I brought to the table. During the duel, Nikkos asked me questions. The main question, of course, was "Why do you want to join the Jensaarai?" My answer was slightly lengthy and, because I wanted to say it correctly, I pulled back on my fighting a little more to concentrate on my words but I was able to accurately sum up all that I had realized lately about the flaws of the Jedi and Sith. That was the final question before Nikkos told me that the duel was over and that I was accepted into the Jensaarai ranks.

Afterwards, Nikkos and I spent a good amount of time talking. He asked how I came to the decision that the Jedi and Sith were off and I very briefly explained my experiences with both. He gave me the status of the rest of the Jensaarai ranks. There were very few that had joined the ranks, but those who had joined were loyal to the cause and would fight hard for the Jensaarai. Afterwards, we went our separate ways. I told Nikkos how best to contact me and he told me that he would be in touch. But the next time that he contacted me, it was to tell me that he was going into exile. He was calling one final meeting of the few Jensaarai members to name his successor.

When I arrived at the Jensaarai main base, I stood around and talked briefly with the other Jensaarai leaders. None of us knew what prompted Nikkos's sudden decision to leave, but whatever it was, we all agreed that it must have been serious. When Nikkos finally arrived, he seemed to be in a rush, hurrying into the meeting hall carrying several papers and scrolls. Even as he spoke, he seemed to be rushing the meeting, hoping to get things out quickly so that he could leave.

His message was short and didn't give any explanation to his reasons, but the most important detail, and the one part of his message that he said with any amount of pride, was that I was to be named Saarai-Karr of the Jensaarai in his place. I was stunned and even as the small amount of clapping and congratulations came from the warriors around me, I remained silent and shell shocked. I had never led a faction. I had led missions perhaps and had been an integral part of many battles but that was all while in the middle of the combat. I wasn't sure I could lead an army from the back line. Wasn't sure that I could bring the Jensaarai to a position of power while I was calling the shots.

Apparently, the rest of the Jensaarai sensed my fears and agreed with them for after Nikkos was gone, I lost all contact with the rest of the Jensaarai. Even when I tried to contact them, my messages were either ignored or they were responded to with excuses and shrug-offs. My confidence shrank and I eventually stopped trying to contact people. Thus, I was left on my own in the galaxy.


	7. Rouge Wraith and Destiny's Calling

**The Rouge Wraith and Destiny's Calling**

From there, I returned to the galaxy very different. I no longer held loyalties to the Jedi or the Sith or even wanted to deal with them. So I remained separate from the galaxy which I had been born into. At this point, I had been missing from the galaxy for quite some time. The Sith no longer knew where I was because I had never returned to the Overlord to explain how the mission had gone or why I had been absent for so long. I was forgotten, passed off as a casualty of war. And the Jedi probably didn't much care. I hadn't shown up on the battlefield so they counted it as a win for them. As such, I left my own galaxy and wandered through the deep recesses of space until I found myself in a new galaxy; one that, I came to find out, was much older than my own. Just as the galaxy where I had been, the Jedi and Sith were constantly warring here, battling each other with as much hatred as they did where I was from. I found myself as lost in this galaxy as I was in my own. So I remained a rouge, floating through this new galaxy and making new friends and allies. I even gained an apprentice in a young Jaden Korr and reconnected with my long lost sister, Dominique.

This was also where I met my first wife, Ava Hunter. Our love was strong but short and, after impregnating her with a baby boy, I realized that she and I were not meant to be, so we went our separate ways. Though we would never restore our friendship to what it was before the relationship, we remained friends and continued to talk. A few months later, Alexander Hunter was born. I wasn't even there when he was born, something I now regret as I look back. But at the time, I had been too busy attempting to regain my reputation as a powerful force warrior that I hadn't thought much of it. Even after Alexander made the journey to my new home on Korriban so that I could train him, my relationship with my son was never really formed.

I remained a relative unknown though my brushes with glory found me coming into contact with some very influential people in the galaxy and others that were near it. I had brushes with the Dominion Empire through the Premier, or protector, of the Empire named Rie Basoar. I became close friends with a woman known as the "Lady of Judgment," Lady Immolate Sanaz. Her story was deeply ingrained in the history of the galaxy that she was so loyal to. There were many others that crossed my path; some that I never even realized were as influential as they were until after the fact.

Despite all of this, I remained the rouge warrior. I joined a few factions and fought in a few battles, but it was always short lived. The only group that I allowed myself to become a part of for any amount of time was the CoH, or Children of Hississ. I was invited by the prince of the faction to join and soon became friends with the Centurion of the group, Sappia Thanatos. I have every reason to believe that I could have flourished in their galaxy, aptly named the "Galaxy of Diversity". But destiny had other plans for me…

It was many years after I had left my own galaxy that a woman named Brianna Chase made her way to my humble home on Korriban. She invited herself in, walking through the door as if she lived there. I obviously combated her intrusion and demanded that she tell me why she was here. She claimed that she was there to speak to me, that the force had led her back to me. I found myself skeptical. The fact that she used the word "back" when I had never even seen her before led me to believe that the force hadn't led her anywhere.

When I brought this fact up to her, she told me a story of a clan of Sith priestesses. Her mother apparently led this group but had died long ago, leaving Brianna in charge. She then explained to me that the coven she came from had been attempting to recruit my mother for years while she was still alive and that, when my mother refused so that she could remain at home to raise me and my sister, the coven had been charged with keeping the Tikori family safe.

That was a statement that I couldn't let slide. If the order of priestesses had been charged with keeping the Tikori family safe, where had they been when the temple was attacked and everyone in it, including my family, was killed brutally and I myself was captured by the Jedi? Where was there protection when I had faced insurmountable odds when facing the Jedi and Sith separately? How had I never heard of this coven at any other point in my life until the time that, honestly, I needed their protection the least? Her answer intrigued me… and looking back, it still does.

She explained that the reason that they had allowed tribulation to come my way was because they realized that it would prepare me for the future that the force had planned for me. I was meant for something great and only through facing the trials that I did would I be ready to face that destiny and claim it. She told me that shortly after they failed to foresee the attack on my parent's temple, they had gone into intensive meditation to gain forgiveness from the force. In turn, the force had revealed a future to them in which I had led an army of force users and had become the sole power in the galaxy. I was obviously skeptical, as this galaxy had many, many powers with more influence and large, expansive armies. Brianna shook her head.

"In our vision, you did not conquer this galaxy and its rulers. You conquered your galaxy; the galaxy of your birth."

Her simple sentence brought all of the pieces suddenly together. It was a crazy concept, one that would surely bring more seemingly impossible situations… but with proper planning and a good strategy, it was possible. I was reminded that I was still the Saarai-Kaar of the Jensaarai and if I was to lead an army of force users, it surely wouldn't be Sith or Jedi, for I completely disagreed with both groups. The only army that I would lead would be one of graysiders and those with the same ideals as mine. If her story was true, and I was to lead a massive group of force users to a position of power in our galaxy, then it would be an army of Jensaarai.

Suddenly alive with the promise of an upcoming fight, Brianna and I began to talk strategy. For weeks we remained in my home on Korriban plotting and bouncing different tactics off of each other. As such, Brianna and I became very close and were fast friends. With a tactic decided upon, I spent the next few days contacting the few Jensaarai that had been part of the faction when Nikkos Tyris was still in power. I had tried to find Nikkos himself… but no one had heard anything from him in years and contact was impossible. I had been hoping to at least be schooled by the Jensaarai's founder in the official philosophy before I attempted to lead the group to power. But it was not meant to be, so I began to study. Brianna was asleep in the guest room long before I even began to consider retiring to the master bedroom.

The next few months were much of the same thing; constant planning and debating on the best tactic to take down both the Sith and the Jedi. On some cases, Dominique, whom I had been in contact with since I had first found her shortly after entering this galaxy, would come and stay at the house as well. She wanted to be part of this and, as such, was heavily involved in the planning.

With how much time the two of us spent together, my relationship with Brianna flourished. For a while, we were inseparable, constantly going places together to take the stress off of planning a hostile takeover of an entire galaxy. Eventually, we began to get to know each other really well and just relax around each other rather than making everything about business. This... extreme closeness was the main source of the evolution of our relationship from acquaintances to friends… and eventually to lovers. It was a whirlwind love that culminated in one fabulous night of passion and love.

Our relationship only got better from there. But it would soon be tested by warfare and combat for very soon, we would be returning to the galaxy of our origins to execute one of the most daring missions I had ever been a part of...


	8. Rise of the Jensaarai

**Rise of the Jensaarai**

After months upon months of planning, Brianna and I finally returned to the galaxy of our origin… but not together. We both agreed that, for the sake of the mission, we should remain separate until we made our big move against the Jedi and Sith. So while Brianna returned to her coven in Sith territory, I went the opposite and sought out the Jedi temple on Coruscant. Brianna had agreed to this separation only because it would allow their plan to easily be spread throughout both the Jedi and Sith respectively and we could each spy on the Sith and Jedi separately and communicate secretly to pass the information along to each other.

Upon arriving at the Jedi temple, I made my way into the main entrance. I had created the perfect outfit for this venture. I looked ragged and unkempt. I had let my hair grow long and had allowed my facial hair to grow a decent amount as well. It was all to sell the deception that I had been in exile to all who looked at me. The first one to greet me was a Jedi that I remembered very well. His name was Alaris Mantore. He had aged so much that I hardly noticed him. He wore the uniform of a respected Jedi Knight now which was a stark contrast to the Apprentice attire that I remembered him in.

Despite my inability to recognize him, Alaris recognized me immediately. I assumed it was because of the fact that he sensed and recognized my force signature. His reaction was expected. In a blur of motion and an emotion swing that could give one whiplash, the man went from surprised to angry in .01 seconds and had drawn his saber in even less time than that it seemed. The boy was good, I could give him that.

I had anticipated this reaction. After all, the last time that any Jedi had seen me, I was carving a path of death through the Jedi temple as I escaped their prison cell. So when the boy had drawn his saber and pointed it at me… my acting began in earnest. I threw up my hands to him and began to plead with him to spare me. I asked only to speak to the council. I was unarmed and alone. Like a good Jedi soldier, Alaris had a few men frisk me to be sure that I was truly unarmed and then had another small group of people check the sensors to make sure that I was truly alone. Only after several minutes of checking monitors and cross referencing their images to their feel of the force did Alaris finally allow it. I was escorted to the room by nearly 20 men. The Jedi weren't taking any chances and I was beginning to feel the thrill of stealth once again.

When I was allowed into the Council chamber, I noticed that my old Jedi master Ju-Kai Cutera now sat among them. He had grown much older, but I could sense his force signature and it was still immense. Something inside of me smiled at the fact that the old man had not lost his power after all of these years. Finally taking my attention off of Ju-Kai, one of the master began to speak to me. He had me first confirm my identity by speaking my name for the record. The next question was the one I had anticipated: a very rude, very bitter "What do you want?" Thus I began to spin my lie.

"My masters… I know that my crimes against this order are many but I humbly return to you, broken and miserable. For though I had found power in the Sith order, I never found peace or happiness. I was lacking and longing for… something. And I thought that that something was returning to the order of my parents but that wasn't it. I still felt empty. So for the last many, many years, I remained in exile, meditating daily, calling upon the force to guide me and it has led me right back here, back to the light. Yes, my crimes are many, but I want only to atone for them and to bring this galaxy back to the light with me."

The master's were skeptical and Ju-Kai himself pointed out that the reason I had left was because that very council had decided to lie to me about everything. I had anticipated this question as well and was prepared for it. "It was an offense against your order, yes. But it was done with good intentions. I was a child of darkness and you were trying to give me a new start on the path of light. I have come to see your decision as one of kindness and mercy and have forgiven and forgotten."

The masters all looked around at each other and I could tell that they were having a mini discussion through the force. Finally, Ju-Kai turned to me and calmly said, "We have decided to allow you to start anew in the Jedi Order. But you will be under surveillance at all times. And should you show any, and I mean any, signs of lying or continuing to serve the darkside, you will be executed, no questions asked. Do I make myself clear?"

I bowed low to them. "Yes, my masters. Thank you for the opportunity." Inside, my mind was alive with excitement. I had cast the lure and the Masters had taken the bait. I was in. Now to begin the next phase.

With the hard part done, I began to play my part. I meditated daily and did all of the things that a normal Jedi would do. I began to gather information on what I had missed while I was gone. It turned out that the Sith had actually succeeded in briefly winning the war against the Jedi. The Jedi hadn't been destroyed, obviously, but instead, went underground to keep their order alive. And so, for nearly a full, terror filled year, the Sith's horrific tyranny had reigned supreme. But the Jedi were rebuilding and soon attacked the Sith once again. Though outnumbered, the Jedi put up a good fight, using hit and run tactics to kill many Sith warriors while taking only slight losses. This helped to even out the ranks of Jedi and Sith. Since then, the Sith had been toppled and the two sides of the force were once again locked in mortal combat. But because of the fact that the Sith had obliterated most of the Jedi ranks and the fact that Jedi hit and run tactics had been so successful, both had armies that were significantly smaller than they had been before I left the galaxy. It was a good sign. It meant that the Jensaarai wouldn't have as many warriors to overcome as I had originally thought. It also hinted to me at why the council had allowed me to join their ranks so easily. They were short on men.

For around a month, I continued the same routine, never even attempting to contact Brianna. I played my part, gaining their trust until finally I began to feel secure enough to begin contacting people. I still had my escort who was to be watching me at all times, but I had always known how to get around him (or, on occasion, her). It was a simple enough force trick. It simply put the target into a sleep-like state for a few hours. It was a trick that had proved invaluable during my days as an assassin and it would be more than helpful now. As soon as the guards had been assigned to me, I began to learn when the shift would change and I began to time it out so that when I began to execute my plan, I would knock out the guard at an appropriate time so that no one would find him unconscious when they came to switch shifts. The only thing that could cause this to fail was if I wasn't done making my communications by the time the effects wore off.

Confident in my ability to make this go off without a hitch, I used the attack first just over a month after being reaccepted into the order. My only contact that I made that day was to my love, Brianna. We talked for the entire time. The hours were spent talking about business. She told me that she had already convinced her coven to follow her and I into battle against the Jedi and Sith and that she would begin recruiting throughout the rest of the Sith ranks soon. I was filled with pride at my lover's success. She was all that I could ask for. I told her all that I had found out about what had transpired during their time away and all that I had learned about the Jedi. She, in turn, gave me a report on her findings in the Sith ranks. After that, our conversation was the same an any couple talking for the first time in a while. We simply laughed and talked about nothing in particular for the last few hours until, regrettably, I had to go so that I would not be caught by the waking guard.

For the next day or two, I laid low. Making sure my plan had truly gone off without a hitch. No one seemed to give me strange looks and the feel through the force of everyone seemed normal. So I was able to assume that everything had gone as planned and that no one suspected me of treason. Not even the guard I had put to sleep seemed to wonder what had happened. It was a good sign. The next week, I repeated the procedure, knocking out the guard and then making my contacts to people. This time, I kept the conversation with Brianna short and moved on to contacting my Jensaarai allies. Just as Brianna and I had done, the loyal Jensaarai warriors who agreed to follow me into battle once again were dispersed within the ranks of the Jedi and the Sith. They too were given instructions to begin recruiting quietly. They had their own reports to give. The day was productive and there were one or two new faces to the Jensaarai order that had been recruited by my men.

As the days wore on, the council began to trust me more and more and slowly began to give me more time of non-surveillance. Of course, that could be because they needed the extra men for the front line. But whatever the case, I was beginning to be left alone more. This meant more time to contact my loyal warriors and also to begin my own quiet recruiting. This also meant that I was soon able to schedule face to face meetings with those who had joined the Jensaarai ranks. Even those who had been recruited out of the Sith were able to meet with me on neutral planets for training sessions in the Jensaarai ways. I began to see Brianna on occasion as well but sadly, spending the night together was next to impossible. But that didn't stop us…

As the months rolled on, the Jensaarai ranks began to get stronger and stronger. I suspected that many who joined our ranks were swept away by their hunger for power and one of the main selling points that I had suggested to the rest of the Jensaarai order was to invoke the feeling that two was better than one. Using both sides of the force would surely make one more powerful than only studying one. A classic marketing trick? Perhaps… but it was effective in recruiting young, ambitious soldiers into our ranks.

One such man arose from within the group of newly recruited soldiers that I quickly became impressed by. His name was Ryken Trikerex and he was formerly a Sith Warrior. His passion for the Jensaarai was admirable but his hunger for glory and his ability in battle were what stood out to me the most. He reminded me a lot of myself back in my days as a young Sith Lord. The more I got to know the young man, the more I liked him and soon, he had become one of my closest allies in the army. He had a good mind for battle and an even better strategic side to him. He was an impressive young man for sure, and I treated him not only as a respected and trusted friend, but as an apprentice, pouring some of my knowledge into the eager Sith Lord turned Jensaarai.

With the Jensaarai army expanding more and more each day, I began to look ahead to our future when we would make ourselves known to the Jedi and Sith. As I began to think of that day that seemed almost tangible now, a new problem arose. On the battle field, what would separate the Jensaarai from their enemies? Surely more than one Jensaarai warrior would be killed by his ally because they were indistinguishable from their enemies. They needed something discreet but noticeable. Able to go unnoticed until they WANTED to be noticed. I had no idea what could do the trick and when I brought it up to Brianna, she was equally as stumped.

The question haunted me. I was staring destiny in the face. The Jensaarai ranks were close to rivaling the Jedi and Sith's own ranks. It was only a matter of time until we were ready to attack our enemy in the open. But now this obstacle had risen to block the way. Jedi killing other Jedi or Sith killing other Sith during the confusion didn't bother me at all, but I absolutely could not have Jensaarai killing other Jensaarai in the scramble. Several nights, I didn't sleep. I stayed awake in my quarters, meditating non-stop, throwing my concerns upon the force, asking for its guidance and wisdom. Though I remained in this manner for entire nights, no answer ever came.

That evening, I was distraught when I contacted Brianna. We were so close I close smell it… but this obstacle threatened to put a sudden stop to our plan. To my surprise, Brianna seemed thrilled when the holographic image of her appeared before me in my quarters. She shined her beautiful teeth at me and said with more than a hint of excitement, "Our problems have been solved."

When I asked what she meant, she told me that her coven had been excavating one of the ancient sith tombs that were on Korriban when they came across a huge cavern within the tomb of Sith Lord Ari'katem Tromorik. It had been well hidden deep inside of the tomb with the shadows that concealed it being nearly impenetrable. Within the cavern, the coven had found an unbelievable stash of black crystals; ones that could be used inside of a lightsaber.

I immediately understood Brianna's joy and I allowed it to crash down on me like a tidal wave upon the shore. The force had provided once again when I was most distraught and now, the plan was back on course. About a week later, the Jensaarai order was called for a meeting. For security purposes, we met in smaller groups throughout the course of a few weeks so that the Jedi and sith wouldn't notice the mass exodus of soldiers all at once. At these meetings, every warrior was handed a black saber crystal and given specific instructions. The instructions were all the same but I made sure that everyone knew the plan before dismissing them.

Two days after the meetings had concluded, just one month after the black crystals had been discovered, I and my Jensaarai army were ready to attack… and the Jedi and Sith weren't going to know what hit them.


	9. No More Hiding

**"No More Hiding…"**

With the meetings finished and the black crystals distributed, the only thing to do was play the waiting game. Fortunately for us, we didn't have to wait long. Just two days later, I learned that the Sith were planning a raid on a Jedi outpost base on the core world of Alderaan. I learned this only from Brianna and the other Jensaarai who were within the Sith. They informed me that the Sith were going to send a fairly large force to counter-act the large amount of Jedi that would be stationed there. The Sith had to win this battle, for it would be a huge victory to take such an important Jedi base. It would also be the cornerstone of their push further inward and eventually to galactic domination once again. But I knew that they wouldn't get very far.

Because I knew that this was going to be the battle that the Jensaarai had waited for, I requested to the council that they send a strike force to Alderaan to support those troops that were stationed there. I told them that the force was calling to me from there, telling me that something was going to happen, something bad. They agreed, apparently sensing danger as well, and allowed me to create a decent sized strike force to be sent there. It seemed that it couldn't have gone any better until Ju-Kai spoke up. He requested to join me and my strike force when we left the next day. He wanted to get back out into the frontline and fight once again.

The stage was set perfectly. I chose my strike force that night, picking only Jedi that I knew were a part of the Jensaarai order. The strike force was small, only about 20 soldiers. But that would be more than enough. Brianna was making sure that there were more Jensaarai soldiers in the Sith battalion. However, I made sure to stress that not all of the Jensaarai could go with them. In order for the plan to truly go well, some needed to remain behind on the home world of both Jedi and Sith.

That night, the night before the strike force left, and the day before the Sith were supposed to make their attack on Alderaan, I stayed up late, forging the weapon of my new identity. Late into the night, I meditated, forging a brand new lightsaber for myself. I had used the assassinry techniques that I had become so proficient at to sneak into the Jedi armory and steal many spare lightsaber parts. The lightsaber that came out of the hours of meditation and work was frightening and powerful. Deep in its heart, laid the new black crystal that would become the identity of the Jensaarai in just a few short hours.

When the strike force left the next morning, I was surprisingly calm. Somehow, I knew that things were going to go well. The force was behind us… it had decreed that the Jensaarai would come out victorious. This was a done deal in my mind. Despite that, I wasn't sure that the other soldiers felt the same. I wished that I could give my soldiers a pep talk, perhaps calm their nerves. But I couldn't with Ju-Kai sitting there in the transport. However, having Ju-Kai join this mission made it even more exciting. This would be my masterpiece. Everything was falling together perfectly and, like a conductor with his orchestra, I would conduct these soldiers in a flawless execution of the Jensaarai's pure authority and superior power.

By mid day on Alderaan, the strike force had arrived and only a few hours later, Sith ships began to exit hyper space in the Alderaan system. They landed a few miles from the base. At that point, I snuck away from the base using my stealth techniques once again. I was able to get away from the base and make my way to a secluded location a few yards away. There, I made my call to Brianna. She had snuck away as well and was waiting for my call. She told me that the Sith soldiers were lining up now and that she had made sure to bring the Jensaarai soldiers that I had asked her to bring. Ryken Trikerex was among them, my best and most promising soldier. She told me that the fight was coming… and destiny followed near behind.

No other words could have stirred up excitement in my heart. I returned to the base with spirit soaring. My love had given me the perfect lift to rebuild my strength and prepare me for the upcoming battle. How sweet it would be to rule the galaxy with her at my side.

Just as I returned to the front line, the Sith were appearing on the horizon. I stepped in beside Ju-Kai but my façade had dropped. I wore a smirk, reveling in the battle to come. Ju-Kai looked over at me and gave me a strange, sort of confused look. Perhaps he knew that I was up to something… perhaps he had known since I arrived back at the Jedi temple those many months ago. But it didn't matter now. The pieces had started falling together and now, there was no stopping it. The Jensaarai would have this day…

The Sith, as I had expected, charged the base with absolutely no concern for strategy. They were running mad with anger and desire for glory. Their sabers were drawn and their battle cry was loud and fierce. The Sith didn't care for strategy, only for blindly attempting to prove that they were more powerful. That is why they would be destroyed. They were not fit to wield the force. They would be obliterated… just like the Jedi.

Even before the Sith hit into the Jedi ranks, I made my retreat and exited the ranks of the Jedi as they prepared to face the enemy. In the back of the Jedi ranks was the Jensaarai strike force that I had brought with me. As I passed them, I smirked to them all and nodded. They understood the message and all nodded back, each prepared to face destiny. I ran around to the side of the battle to a hill top near the base where I could watch the entire battle take place in the plateau below. I stood on the crest of the hill and smiled down as the red sabers slammed into the blue and green. Soon, all hell would break loose.

Shortly after I arrived at my observation point, Brianna joined me at my lookout. She smiled and walked right up beside me. I turned towards her, smirking devilishly and wrapped my arms around her, kissing her lips deeply. How fitting that our loving embrace would happen with the sweet background music of carnage and battle.

With our reunion out of the way, Brianna pulled back and smiled at me. She raised an eyebrow and spoke softly. "You ready?"

My smirk was the only response I gave. I turned away from her, leaving one arm around her. At the same time, I pulled out a small communicator and began to speak into it. On the other end was every Jensaarai warrior under my control.

"My fellow Jensaarai, this is your Saarai-Kaar. The time has come. The time for us to throw aside our disguises, our lies, our false lives, and show this galaxy who we are and what we can do. For too long, the Jedi and Sith have ravaged the galaxy with their war, leaving no room to care for the civilians. They have ruined the force and split it down the middle, breaking its power apart. Well those days are over. Today we will make our move to take this galaxy by force. No more hiding… Make yourselves known."

Down on the battle field, hundreds of sabers were extinguished. I smiled, knowing what was to come. With a thunderous battle cry, the Jensaarai warriors from both the Sith and the Jedi ignited brand new pitch black sabers and began to attack any warrior whose saber was a different color. I smiled down at the havoc I had created. From this position, I could tell that the Jensaarai warriors outnumbered the Sith and the Jedi. This was good. This battle would be ours.

After that, I began to connect to the rest of the Jensaarai through the force. They had sprung their trap as well. Hundreds of Jensaarai in both the Jedi and Sith temples had activated the same black saber crystals and had begun attacking the Jedi and Sith separately. I could feel the tremor in the force. The battle had begun galaxy-wide. The Jensaarai were purging the galaxy of the scum. I allowed pride to swell in my heart. I was watching as my years of hard work finally came to fruition. It was exhilarating.

I turned towards Brianna, an anxious smile on my face. She chuckled softly and shook her head at me. "Go, my love. Join the battle." I smirked and kissed her softly before turning back to the battle. Reaching onto my belt, I pulled out my newly created saber. Activating it with a loud snap-hiss, I roared at the top of my lungs. With the force aiding my voice, every warrior down in the battle field seemed to stop and turn towards me as I charged head first into the battle.

The fighting that day wasn't long. The Jensaarai soldiers on Alderaan didn't take long to dispose of the Jedi and Sith. Our numbers were able to quickly able to overcome the Sith and Jedi but it wasn't until I entered the fight that they began to retreat. Up until then, they had attempted to stand and fight. It seemed my reputation preceded me.

The plan had been executed perfectly and with very little casualties to the Jensaarai order. It seemed that my planning and my foresight had accurately predicted the reactions from the Jedi and Sith. They would be unprepared to fight their own kind, caught completely off guard by the new enemy and slightly intimidated by the black saber color, a color that they had never witnessed before. The ones who were able to see the attack coming had either stood and fought and were overpowered by sheer numbers or had fled immediately. Because some of the best Sith warriors had been sent to Alderaan to attack the Jedi outpost, the Jensaarai that had made themselves known in the Sith temple on Korriban had met very few master and, therefore, were able to carve a path through their ranks much easier. The carnage there was greater than the carnage even on Alderaan, where the Sith and Jedi had been slaughtered. The news wasn't as grand from the Jedi temple on Coruscant. The Jensaarai had to face the Council members. Only one or two were away on missions not including Ju-Kai who had accompanied us to Alderaan, so the bulk of the Masters had fought a brilliant battle against the Jensaarai.

In the end, however, the day belonged to the Jensaarai. Even on Coruscant, where the Masters held the front lines, the Jensaarai had over powered the men and women who were once their masters, causing a handful of Council members decide to flee so that the other Jedi who had fled or were away on other missions would still have leaders to look to. We lost quite a few warriors on Coruscant and they would be hard to replace, but they served me well, and I would be sure that they had not died in vain.

The biggest success story, though, was not the large number of dead Jedi and Sith or even the smaller number of Jensaarai that we lost. It was, however, the number of Jedi and Sith who had surrendered, either with a fight or without. The largest number of surrenders happened in the Sith temple and I could think of two reasons why that was: Not only were the Sith merely power hungry animals who had seen the power that the Jensaarai had and had craved it for themselves, but their best warriors were on Alderaan. They had nearly no leaders and no one to rally behind. They were alone and didn't want to face death. And so they decided to join my Jensaarai ranks. The number that had joined us out of the Jedi ranks surprised me, though. I could figure out why the Sith would join but the Jedi? They had their masters to rally behind, to look to for guidance. They were supposed to be honorable, standing and fighting for what they thought was the good of the galaxy and doing anything to attempt to "balance" the force. Perhaps my own thoughts on the Jedi and Sith were shared by more people than I thought. Perhaps the Jedi had fallen further away from their own Code while I was away in the other galaxies. Whatever the reason, I was happy to have more soldiers. We made up for all of the soldiers lost and even added quite a few more in recruits. That was a good sign, for the backlash from the Jedi and Sith would be quick and decisive. I immediately called for all Jensaarai warriors to make their way to Alderaan. Training of the new recruits started immediately after everyone arrived from Coruscant and Korriban respectively.

My only regret of the day had been that I had not fought Ju-Kai on the battlefield. I assumed that he had fled, for his body was never found on the battleground. Ju-Kai was a great warrior and a better leader, letting him escape meant that the Jedi would have one more master to get behind. Their spirits would be lifted by his survival. I didn't let it torment me, though. I would have my chance to kill Ju-Kai.


	10. The Best Defense

**The Best Defense….**

Despite the major victory that had just been won, the next day was not about celebration. It was all about planning. The Jedi and Sith surely wouldn't take the loss lightly. So the next day, I made two calls, each to a Jensaarai warrior that had remained in the Jedi and sith ranks respectively. I had known that our power alone would not be enough to win a war on two fronts against the Jedi and Sith. We needed to stay on our toes, for if we were caught off guard by an attack, the sheer numbers of either the Jedi or Sith would be enough to crush us. So I instructed two of my soldiers to remain behind and flee with the rest of the Jedi and Sith so that I could continue to have a spy in both of their ranks. This way, I could stay up to date on all that the two factions did.

My first call was to a woman named Lin-tras Typhin, my contact within the Jedi order. She told me that the Jedi had fled Coruscant and were heading to the planet Ord Mantell. Apparently, the Jedi had another temple on that planet, a home away from home. There, they planned to begin express training to all Jedi to prepare them for a war against us and the Sith. She told me that, based on the Masters' actions and the way that they spoke, it seemed as if the Jedi had been intimidated by the Jensaarai attack and that they didn't seem confident in their numbers to win a war, but that they needed to gain much more power in order to bring about the destruction of the Jensaarai. This was good news. It meant that the Jedi were demoralized. One savage strike could mean many, many more Jedi surrenders and more recruits. It also meant that, should we strike them once again and come out victorious, many Jedi may defect from the Order and go rouge, preferring isolation to death by the blade. The Jedi could be close to being a relic of the past…

My next call was to a man named Rackus Mourn, my contact within the Sith. He was a fellow assassin of mine when I was in the Sith Order and was therefore a good friend and one of the first to be recruited to the cause. He explained to me that the Sith had fled Korriban and had gone to their own home away from home on Dathomir. According to him, the Sith had taken the exact opposite approach from the Jedi. Instead of fortifying their power, the Sith had gone into a blind rage, furious at their humiliating defeat and vowing revenge. They planned on leaving Dathomir first thing the next day with the full count of their Sith Warriors and to attack the Jensaarai on Alderaan. They would make sure that they were not defeated again. Rackus also told me that there was talk about beginning a raid on some of the nearby Core Worlds after taking Alderaan. The Jedi had gone into hiding, leaving their Core Worlds void of protection and after the Sith destroyed the Jensaarai, who would be there to stop them? They would be free to set up their galactic empire once again.

The answer seemed almost impossibly clear. The Jedi were on their heels, fleeing and thinking that they were safe from a Jensaarai attack while the Sith would be sending everything that they had to take Alderaan. It seemed so simple. I sent a message to both Rackus and Lin-tras thanking them for their service and to contact me should anything change. The next thing I did was call a meeting of all of the Jensaarai to be held outside of the temple. When everyone had gathered, I made my way to the roof and addressed the warriors from there. Brianna followed me up and stood nearby, the proud lover of the Saarai-Kaar.

The first part of the meeting was spent congratulating my warriors on a perfect execution of the plan I had set up. After the roaring applause and excited cheers had died down, I gave them a quick briefing of the aftermath of the fighting yesterday which included the number of Jedi and Sith killed and also the number of Jensaarai that had been recruited or had joined after surrendering and I relayed the information that I had gotten from Lin-tras and Rackus shortly prior to the meeting. They listened intently and I could tell that were waiting for a plan. I smiled. My soldiers were smart and knew that I would have a plan to them

Because this temple was built as a hideout in times of trouble and during warfare, the temple was less an elegant show of the Jedi's majesty and more a fortress for the Jedi to hole-up and save themselves. As such, we wouldn't be able to simply break in and make ourselves known. We would need to bring it down from the inside out like a virus destroying the body that was its host. That was precisely my plan…

"The Jedi are weak, not only physically but also mentally. Our stunning and unexpected victory seems to have left their ranks demoralized and doubting their ability to win this war. Even their masters show signs of intimidation and fear. We have them on their heels, they simply need one last shove. The Sith however, have seem to have strengthened their resolve and turned humiliation into anger. We cannot stand against their full strength. So our next step is going to be focused on the Jedi. Rackus tells me that the Sith are possibly planning to stay within the Core Worlds to conquer some territory while the Jedi are fleeing from us. As such, the Sith will be busy taking territory in the Core Worlds while we all but finish off the Jedi and we will figure out a way to take down the Sith shortly after the Jedi are dealt with. Now, I want you to find any ship that you can in this base and set a course for Ord Mantell. Wait for my command to take off. Get as many people as you can into each ship. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves by traveling in a huge group. You have your orders… now carry them out."

As the huge group of soldiers began to disperse into the base, I began to call out names. "Lyrket, Bartel, Karyn, and Ryken, meet me up here." I turned to Brianna and smiled at her, letting all of my love pour into her through the force. She was the reason I was here and one of the reasons why I was doing this. I was creating a universe where we could prosper and raise children; a galaxy of peace and where the force was whole, not divided. She was my motivation and the best ally I could ask for.

As the group of warriors that I had called out reached the roof, I turned away from Brianna and looked at my hand-picked soldiers. "I have a special mission for you four. You are coming with me ahead of the rest of the force. We are going to bring destruction from the inside once again. I have chosen you four because you have shown promise in both hand-to-hand combat and have also had training in stealth and assassinry, though some more than others. We will enter the Jedi base and begin the attack while the rest of the force is still en route. With careful timing, the Jedi will have just begun to turn their full attention to us when the rest of the fleet arrives. Once again, they will be completely caught off guard as their attention is pulled two different ways. This mission will be highly dangerous and if you doubt your prowess at stealth or saber fighting, then I suggest you step forward and say so. There is no dishonor in telling the truth if it will save lives. There is, however, dishonor in knowingly putting others in danger when you know that you may not be cut out for the job. So speak now." I paused, allowing an opportunity for someone to speak. When no one did, I continued, "Good. Now go and find a small carrier craft to charter the 5 of us. I will meet up with you shortly."

I then immediately turned back to Brianna. She looked concerned. Apparently the end of my little speech had her feeling nervous enough for all 5 of us. I smiled softly at her and moved forward, taking her hands in mine. "Don't worry, my love. I've done this sort of thing thousands of times. I was born for these missions." It didn't seem to help but I pressed on anyway. "I need you to not worry about me, Bri. I know it's asking a lot, but while I'm busy carrying out this mission, I need you to command the rest of the Jensaarai. I'll tell them when to take off and I'll let you know when to begin your attack, but you have to be ready to take command."

With a deep sigh, she begrudgingly agreed and I pulled her into a warm embrace. We stayed like that for a few moments. "Soon, my love. We can truly be together soon. I foresee a quick end to this war. We will be the rulers of this galaxy together. Just hold on for a little longer." I kissed her forehead softly then pulled away a little bit to kiss her lips passionately.

From there, we parted ways and went to our separate duties; I to my secret strike force and her to what was to act as our flag ship for this mission. I found my men by a medium sized battle cruiser. They all stood around the ship talking and joking, but as they noticed my approach, everything became business. I could see the fire in their eyes. They were ready and hungry for the heat of battle. I would appease them. They would have their glory.

Our ship took off only shortly before I gave the orders for the rest of the fleet to leave, but at warp speed, every second carried us over a lightyear. So after waiting only a couple seconds, I gave the orders. There was no turning back now. From the flight deck of the ship that I had named the "Night Predator Mark II" in obvious nostalgia for the ship that had taken me to assassination missions while I was still a part of the Sith, I contacted Lin-tras and Rackus once more, double checking that their last report was still the current situation. I was pleased to hear that it was. I quickly debriefed them both about what was going to happen. Of course, it wasn't going to affect Rackus much, but he deserved to know. Lin-tras was given an order to meet our stealth group on the inside of the temple on the very top temple concourse. With my communications done, I went into the back of the ship to prepare. When I returned, I had on my perfected assassin uniform, the safe one that I had worn as a Sith assassin all those years ago. The material it was made out of was silent when it rubbed together and the mask hid everything except my eyes making my identity impossible to tell. It was the perfect assassinry outfit and the others marveled at it.

We arrived at Ord Mantell very shortly after my contact with my two spies had ended. After breaking through the atmosphere, we landed the first chance we got in a clearing a few miles from the temple. It was necessary for them to be this far away from their target. It meant that the Jedi would likely not see them coming because they didn't have the bulk of the ship to give them away. Instead, they were just people, quickly move over the rough, dry ground near the temple.

When we reached the side of the temple, I noticed a hatch that had been left open. I assumed it led to some sort of service vent or duct system. It was the perfect way to get in. Instead of coming through the grand main entrance where hiding would be impossible, they would have a head start by entering the temple already half way up its side. I pointed out the hatch to the other four, communicating through the force to tell them that that was their point of entrance. They nodded their silent confirmation. Taking the lead, I went first, silently using a powerful force jump to launch myself up to the hatch. Because it was simply an opening in the wall, and a small one at that, I was forced to grab onto the ledge and then pull myself up into a crouch from there rather than landing smoothly on my feet. I walked into the service vent before pausing to make sure that the rest of the team followed. They did, and shortly, we were making our way through the vent, searching for an exit point.

We followed the vents for quite some time looking for a suitable place to exit, but every place that we found seemed to be too populated to come climbing out of a vent. And so we pressed on. Several times, he had to use force jump to continue, as the ventilation system ran up the side of the building. I didn't complain it at all. This vent was getting us further up to the top of the temple without having to cross any heavily populated areas, or at least, if they had, no one would know that they were there. I had instructed each of the members of the stealth force to mask their force signature which they had done back while we were still on the Night Predator Mark II. As we continued forward, my communicator headset beeped quietly in my ear. Brianna had arrived on the planet and was ready to attack as soon as I gave the order. The plan was going even better than I had expected.

When finally we arrived at a suitable exit, I smirked and began to push it open, doing my best to remain quiet. The place where this vent had led them was a wide open concourse, void of any Jedi. It also seemed that the vent wasn't going to go up any further. That had to mean that they were near the top of the temple if they weren't there already. As I pushed the vent off of its place in the wall, I noticed one young Jedi woman standing near the large windows on the far wall. Her face was turned to us, so she didn't notice our exit from the vent. I decided that, in order to be sure that we remained under the radar, it would be necessary to temporarily dispose of her. She would be safely knocked unconscious then left there. It was necessary not to kill her, for her screams of pain would attack others. Knocking her unconscious was quick and silent.

I held up a hand to tell my team to wait as I took care of the Jedi. I approached slowly with perfect stealth. My clothes didn't make a sound as I got closer to the windows… but as I got closer to them, I briefly looked out at the scenery beyond the glass. What I noticed was that the view extended for miles. They were so high up, surely at the very top of the temple. I paused only for a split second as I realized that the service vent had taken them to the exact spot that they wanted to be in. That second's pause was enough time for the Jedi before to turn around towards me. She wore a smug smirk.

"So how'd that open hatch treat you, Master?"

It took me a second to match the face to the voice but when I did, I realized that the Jedi I was about to knock out was none other than Lin-tras Typhin. She smiled at me, confident and proud of herself. I suddenly realized that she had orchestrated us getting to the top as we did. She had opened that hatch knowing full well that it would lead us straight to the very top concourse. I smirked and placed a hand on her shoulder, thanking her and telling her that she had done well.

Turning back to my group of warriors, I smirked and pulled out my saber, beckoning for the others, Lin-tras included, to do the same. All at once, we activated our black sabers and began hitting them against each other harmlessly. This was the flame that would draw the moths in. Soon, Jedi would be making their up to the floor above them to see what the commotion was.

And that was exactly what they did. The first Jedi or two that showed up in the open hallway were slaughtered easily. But the sounds of fighting and the disturbance in the force brought more into the hallway. Soon, the hall was being flooded with Jedi warriors. Because the doorways into this hall were small, it limited the entrance of Jedi to one at a time, keeping the number of Jedi in the hall relatively controlled and manageable. But I had no doubt that we couldn't keep it up. So, taking only a moment, I activated my communicator and screamed into it only one word. "NOW!"

Outside, a resonating battle cry rose up the walls of the temple fortress. From the observation window, I could see the rest of the Jensaarai army storming the temple's main entrance. The Jedi's attention had been turned so much towards me and my small group of warriors that they hadn't noticed the army of force users approaching the temple's front. They had also been so focused on us that they had left nearly no one down in the lower levels to defend the base of the temple. The Jedi were now caught between me and my group of highly skilled warriors and the full force of the Jensaarai army. They had played into my hands and now they would pay the price for it.

Once again, my plan had been executed with perfection. The Jedi had been decimated and all but crushed but once again, the Jensaarai warriors had suffered little to no losses. Because the Jedi had been pinned between the main force of the Jensaarai and the blade of me and my stealth attack force, they had had nowhere to retreat. There were only a handful that had opted to take the leap out of the observation windows to the ground below. While most were able to slow their descent using the force, there were a few less skilled Jedi that died from the fall as they crushed into the ground. Other Jedi had been able to use their superior knowledge to escape our attack through secret passageways and various ventilation systems. All in all, a good hundred Jedi or so had been able to escape death.

Once again, the biggest win of the day had been the amount of Jedi had defected to our ranks rather than face death. Those who surrendered during the battle had been sent to the back of our ranks where they were fitted with force suppressant cuffs and chained either to a wall or to another cuffed surrendered Jedi. I would not have Jedi surrendering just to be passed over by our troops just so that they could escape.

The battle ended when the main force of the army had fought their way through the Jedi to meet me and my strike force in the center of the room. I smiled at my warriors; my unstoppable Jensaarai army. Making my voice reached even the backmost parts of our ranks, I yelled, "The day is ours!" The cheers that reached my ears were deafening as the battle weary Jensaarai celebrated their second stunning victory in three days. And they had every right to be proud of the work that they had done. They were the best soldiers a leader could ask for. And on the front lines was the best woman a leader could ask for. Brianna smiled wide at me, seeing how I reveled in the unbridled joy of victory. I walked straight over to her and wrapped my arms around her, kissing her lips deeply. The entire Jensaarai army seemed to join in one collective "awwwww" as they watched the show of emotion. I smiled and turned to look at my soldiers. They were happy and were simply joking around with their fearless leader. I enjoyed the jesting, and would be happy to return it eventually. For the time being though, they needed rest.

"You've earned this night, my warriors. Make yourselves comfortable in the temple that you have won with this fight here today. Eat, drink and be merry this night, for tomorrow, we begin to prepare for the fight with the Sith. So rest up tonight, for tomorrow, we go right back to the grind."

The cheering resounded as the warriors left the concourse to celebrate their victory. The force had made even these warriors who had once been mortal enemies friends and brothers. That, more than anything, proved that I was on the right path. The force had made this army and had made me into what I was meant to be and it had done the same with this army of force users. So I too reveled in this victory, spending the night in the loving embrace of my Jensaarai queen...


	11. The Wrap Up

(As I stated before, this entire story was written as a biography for Ryu and a reference for anyone wanting to find out about the character and what he's been through. However, as I neared the end of this whole project, I found myself more interested in Ryu's future and the coming stories than I was in his past. So, in order to tie up loose ends, I wrote this final section. As the name suggests, it is but a quick wrap-up of events taking place after "The Best Defense..." and before the next book. I plan to re-do this ending relatively soon so as to make it more legit, hah. It'll probably end up in two parts. But anyway, sorry about the break from formal writing in favor of a quick wrap-up. Hope you don't hate me too much ;P)

**The Wrap-Up**

Okay, so the Jedi have basically gone into seclusion. What few of them escaped have disappeared into the underground, likely staying separate so as not to draw attention to themselves. Ju-Kai is among that group. So, with the Jedi morale at an all-time low as are the chances of any blind side attack on the Jensaarai from them, Ryu turns his attention to the Sith, who, as Rackus predicted, have moved into the Core Worlds.

Ryu, realizing that he is still out manned and out gunned decides to remain in the Jedi fortress/temple to continue to train new recruits. It also allows to the Sith army to continue to spread themselves thinly across the inner circle of the galaxy.

After a month or so, Ryu decides it's time to start attacking. Taking the ships that the Jedi left in their hangar, the Jensaarai stick together and attack the first planet, taking it by surprise and extinguishing resistance quickly. Getting word from Rackus that the Sith had taken a gamble and taken troops off of other worlds to fortify the one that they thought Ryu was most likely to attack, Ryu decided to go around to the opposite side of the core and take one of the planets that was less fortified then repeated the routine. It only worked one other time before the Sith amassed their army to meet the Jensaarai head on.

It was then that Ryken Trikerex began to take up his role as strategist. Ryu wasa always good with surprises attacks and working from an advantage of surprise or otherwise, but with the Sith no longer spread thin across their territory, the odds were tipped out of the Jensaarai's favor. So Ryu made Ryken his top advisor and opted to help on the battlefield more than lead from the back. With Ryken's strategy and Ryu's power and fighting prowess, the Jensaarai began a slow, grueling beat down of the Sith forces, each battle bringing new recruits and new "ship jumpers" defecting from the darkside to the gray.

Eventually, the leaders of the Sith were forced to resort to asking the Jedi for their assistance. In fact, it wasn't even necessarily a truce. The Sith planned to make one final stand against the Jensaarai and the leaders of the Sith appealed to the Jedi to make the stand with them. Once the Jensaarai were defeated, the two could resume killing each other. Ju-Kai, now the official leader of the Jedi order, agreed and the call was made to the rest of the Jedi.

The final battle was staged on Alderaan which was ironically fitting due to the fact that the first real appearance of the Jensaarai happened on this very same planet. The Jedi and Sith were outnumbered, but not by much and the battle that was fought was brutal and bloody (figuratively, of course). For the first time since Ryu had left the Jedi order, he faced his Jedi Master, Ju-Kai, on the battlefield. Ju-Kai was backed up by the Sith Overlord and Ryu was backed by his now fiancé Brianna (Ryu had requested she stay behind for her safety but she had insisted that she accompany him). The duel wasn't supremely long, but it was tiring and epic. Brianna was first to draw blood, killing off the Sith Overlord by decapitation. When she tried to step in to aid Ryu, he yelled for her not to. This was his battle and she respected that. Finally, Ryu landed a fatal wound to the shoulder of Ju-Kai's sword arm and followed it up with a stab wound to the stomach.

In his final minutes, unable to fight back, Ju-Kai lay gasping for breath on the hard ground and, in a seemingly perfect ending, asked for Ryu's forgiveness for the sins of his past and of the council's past. He confessed that he had never liked what they had done and the trickery that they had spun, but he was following orders. It was only when Ju-Kai confessed that he knew a 'sorry' meant nothing that Ryu forgave him and put him out of his misery with a deep, clean cut through his chest.

By that time, the battle was nearly over. The Jensaarai had come out victorious and only a combined handful of Jedi and Sith were able to escape. Ryu allowed them to escape, knowing that seclusion would likely be a more miserable end than dying by a Jensaarai saber.

With the war won and the force rallied together under one order, free of the limits of 'dark' and 'light,' Ryu set about attempting to establish the Jensaarai's place in the galaxy. He married Brianna shortly after that final battle and were blessed with a child only about 9 or 10 months thereafter; a baby boy who they named James. For Ryu, it seemed as though his days of ceaseless strife and struggle were over. But in a galaxy of constant change, where the ebb and flow of power is constant, Ryu didn't enjoy his peace for long...

To be continued in "The Death of a Wraith"...


End file.
